Device for marking picture-mats.



No. 778,521. PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904.

F. B. WHEAT.

DEVICE FOR MARKING PICTURE MATS.

APPLICATION FILED APB..11, 1904.

W aZiM/Q Qm lneooen I o I Patented December 27, 1904:.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. lVHEAT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DEVICE FOR MARKING PICTURE-MATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,521, dated December 27, 1904.

Application filed April 11, 1904. Serial No. 202,792.

To (1.17 70710772, it 77LfLZ/ concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. \VHEAT, of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Marking Picture-Mats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specilication, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in devices primarily designed to facilitate the marking of picture-mats, although the invention is not limited to such use inasmuch as it may be used to equal advantage to indicate margins or in laying off angular areas of definite dimensions with relation to the edges of any plane surfaces.

The invention consists in a T-shaped body having graduations extending in a straight line in opposite directions from a central point and other graduations extending from said central point in a line at right angles to the first-mentioned line, said graduations being numbered uniformly from the central point outwardly.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be now described, and pointed out particularly in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying the present improvements. Fig. 2 is a similar view looking at the rear side of the device. Fig. 3 is a view showing the manner of using the device to lay oif a picture-mat.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The device or instrument adopted for illustrating the invention approximates in general form an ordinary T-square composed of a head A, having a straight-edge a and a blade B, the latter being preferably somewhat thinner than the head in order to leave a continuous edge on the head to rest against the edge of the mat, the device in this respect being identical to an ordinary T-square and may be made of metal or other material such as is ordinarily employed for making such squares.

Ordinarily the dimensions of the device may be less than a T-squarethat is to say, the head and blade may be much shorter, although this is not material. Three sets of graduations are formed on the device, all starting from the same point, which may be convenientl y termed the central point. Thus two sets of said graduations extend from the central point along the edge a, as shown at C and C, while the third set of graduations extends at right angles thereto along the blade, as indicated at O In the preferred construction the latter set of graduations is arranged in a line centrally of the blade B, and at each graduation an opening is formed through the blade for the insertion of a pencil-point or prick-punch. The graduations may be conveniently marked in inches and fractions thereof, all starting from the central point, as shown.

In using the device the head is placed against the edge of the mat with the corner of the mat opposite the graduation indicating the desired width of the mat, and then by passing a pencil-point or prick-punch through the aperture forming the corresponding graduation on the blade the corner of the mat-opening will be correctly marked. The device may then be moved along the edge of the mat to the other corner and a corresponding mark made, and so on to mark all of the corners of the opening.

Should a mat wider on tWo sides than on the others be desired, it is only necessary to make the mark through the graduation-opening corresponding to the dimension clesired for instance, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the pencil is shown at the proper graduation and the device is properly located'to mark a matthree inches wide at the ends and only two inches wide at top and bottom.

It will be readily understood that by arranging the graduations on the head to extend in opposite directions from the point where the graduations on the blade intersect the same no reversal of the device is required in marking a mat, as the scale on one side of the center point will be used'at one corner of the mat and the scale on the other side of the center will be used at the other corner, thus avoiding any possible mistake or confusion in marking mats of any dimension.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device of the character described embodying a fixed head and blade arranged at right angles to each other, a line of graduations extending centrally of the blade With perforations through the blade corresponding to the graduations,and graduations on the head extending in opposite directions, all the graduations starting from the point of intersection of the graduations on the head and blade; substantially as described.

2. A device of the character described, embodying a head having a continuous inner edge adapted to rest against the edge of the body to be marked, a blade secured at right angles to said head, a line of graduations eX- tending centrally of the blade With perforations through the blade corresponding to the graduations and graduations on the head extending along its inner edge in opposite directions from the point of intersection therewith of the line of graduations on the blade; substantially as described.

FRANK B. i/VHEAT.

Witnesses:

JAMES M. Bnsr, EDWARD E. CIIIAPELLA. 

